Chapter Sixteen: Strategic Shift

  The town of Huangni Gang was left scarred after the battle, with houses collapsed and fires burning in the sky. Although most of the Qing army was stationed outside the town, the fighting within the town was also intense, with the most cannonballs hitting it. Despite Zhao Bei's order to protect the safety of the townspeople as much as possible, civilian casualties still occurred during the battle. The streets were filled with cries and wails, and corpses lay scattered on the ground, including both soldiers and civilians. Some injured people who had not yet died were still groaning in the piles of bodies, making this dark night even more terrifying and desolate.

  Zhaobei stepped on the ruins, under the guard of the guards, from the town's only main street to the center of the town. Looking at the corpses all over the street, he was in a heavy mood and immediately ordered the rescue of the wounded and the accommodation of refugees. However, for now, there were more important things that needed his attention, and these trivial matters could only be left to the newly risen new army.

  They stopped in front of a temple, where the new military officers were waiting for him, each holding torches and lanterns. When they saw him arrive, with one order, they all stood at attention and saluted.

  Zhao Bei had already changed into the uniform of the Anqing New Army before entering the town, and now he hastily returned the courtesy, but his footsteps did not stop, and he stepped directly onto the steps in front of the ancestral hall, his shiny boots reflecting a faint light under the lamp.

  "The 8th Division of the Hubei New Army, the 21st Mixed Brigade and the 9th Division of the Jiangsu New Army, all officers and soldiers who have risen up in revolt welcome the vanguard officer of the revolutionary army! My name is Yang Wangpeng, courtesy name Zilun, secretary of the 21st Mixed Brigade!" Yang Wangpeng stepped forward to say, and immediately introduced several people beside him to Zhao Bei.

  "This is Bai Wenwei, a revolutionary comrade from the 9th district, he is an officer of the Tongmenghui. This is Xiong Bingkun, he is the chief engineer of the 8th district engineering battalion, although he has not joined any revolutionary organization, his heart belongs to the revolution, and it was him who led a team to set up the field telephone through the Iron Bridge under heavy gunfire."

  "Not bad! Revolution is exactly what we need, young people like you with passion and blood! Not afraid of hardship, not afraid of death, this is what revolution means!" Zhao Bei also didn't stand on ceremony, putting down the hand he was holding up, scanning the rebel soldiers standing in the corridor, shaking hands one by one, exchanging pleasantries, and carefully sizing up those few historical figures.

  "It's too dark outside. Come on, let's go inside and talk!"

  Zhao Bei led the crowd into the ancestral hall, where two eight-immortal tables had been set up in the main hall, with a large military map spread out on top. However, due to the limited space in the ancestral hall, only about twenty people followed him in.

  Zhao Bei stood still in front of the desk, swept his eyes over the map, then raised his head, turned around to face these rebel soldiers and said: "Everyone, we have successfully revolted with unity and cooperation, captured the fake Qing governor and commander, this is a great achievement for the revolution! Now, we must immediately reorganize our troops, then march westward, penetrate deep into the enemy's territory, expand the revolutionary influence!"

  "Are we marching west? Are we not going to Anqing?" Bo Wen asked, standing up. "Now the Jiangsu area is empty, with only some old garrison troops left, their combat effectiveness is negligible, it's better to take advantage of the situation and march east to Anqing, join forces with the Anqing Righteous Army, take advantage of the emptiness and launch a surprise attack, and capture Jiangling in one fell swoop."

  Zhao Bei looked at him and shook his head, saying: "No! We're not going to Anqing!"

  "Not going to Anqing? But General Xiong said that once the uprising is launched, the troops will be pulled to Anqing." A bespectacled staff officer reminded him. This man's name was Zhang Jiyang, a native of Jiangsu and also a member of the Guangfu Hui. He had come with Zhao Beiyi this time to instigate the Autumn Maneuver New Army uprising and was considered Zhao's deputy. In fact, there were more than a dozen officers from Hubei and Jiangsu who came with Zhao Beiyi and played an important role in the uprising.

  "Plans can't keep up with changes! The current situation is very clear, Anqing is isolated on the banks of the Yangtze River and is located in the heartland of the Qing dynasty's rule. The reactionary forces are very rampant. Although there is no accurate intelligence, the uprising has been going on for several days. According to common sense reasoning, the Qing army must have begun to gather towards Anqing, and under heavy artillery attacks, Anqing will be difficult to defend. To respond to Anqing and win the victory, we can't go to Anqing, but should head west! Marching and fighting all the way, thoroughly disrupting the Qing army's strategic deployment. So, we won't go to Jiangsu, we'll go to Hubei!"

  Everyone was in an uproar, whispering to each other and discussing it heatedly. Most of the officers from Hubei agreed with this proposal, but those from Jiangsu had serious concerns, resulting in some disagreement for a while.

  Yang Wang Peng stepped forward and shouted: "Stop arguing! Listen to the vanguard officer's orders! Our Qunchu Xueshe agrees with the vanguard officer's decision!"

  Zhao Bei walked to the back of the table, picked up his command knife, pointed at the map and said: "Anqing is adjacent to the Yangtze River, but our revolutionary army has no warships available. The Qing army can rely on the Yangtze River as a natural barrier to attack Anqing with gunboats. Therefore, I think that Anqing must not be defended! Even if we rush there overnight, we will have no power to do anything. We only have field artillery and mountain guns, which have short range and weak firepower, and cannot confront the Qing army's gunboats head-on! Rather than being trapped in Anqing, it is better to march westward, deeply into Hubei and Hunan provinces, first to obtain supplies, second to contact local militia forces, expand our troops, respond to Anqing on the east side, disrupt the Qing army's deployment, more importantly, expand the revolutionary influence! With us making trouble in the west, the Qing army will inevitably have to dispatch a force to pursue and attack us. In this way, the Qing army will be distracted, and we will take advantage of the situation to launch a surprise attack on the Qing government! If we can occupy one or several large cities, then we will preserve the spark of revolution, even if Anqing cannot be defended, our revolutionary army will not be defeated. Revolution is indeed risky, but it is not a desperate gamble! Therefore, comrades, our next step is to march westward!"

  Zhao Bei put down his command knife, clasped his hands behind his back, and stood upright at the table, scanning the crowd with a sweep of his head. "As for my plan," he said, "if you have any opinions, please speak up frankly. Three cobblers can surpass one Zhuge Liang. Revolution is not just my personal affair; everyone has the right to participate. I understand that our comrades from Jiangsu may have concerns - after all, your hometowns are in Jiangsu, and now the Qing dynasty is tyrannical, bringing suffering to the world. Who wouldn't want to save their fellow countrymen first? However, as revolutionaries, we must take a long-term view and not be limited by immediate interests. Revolution is, after all, a comprehensive plan."

  Everyone looked at each other and finally cast their eyes on Yang Wangpeng, the leader of the Qunzhixue Society.

  Yang Wang Peng stepped forward and said: "The vanguard officer's battle plan is to feign an attack on the east and strike in the west, a clever strategy of surrounding Wei to rescue Zhao. We have no objections! The Qunzhixue Society resolutely supports the vanguard officer's decision!"

  Everyone's eyes are on Bai Wenwei now, as he is actually playing the role of leader of the Jiangsu team. His opinions can be said to represent the views of the new Jiangsu army.

  Bo Wen nodded thoughtfully for a moment, then raised his head and said: "I support the vanguard officer's decision. Let's go west!"

  "Very well. Since everyone has no objection, then let's go back and tidy up the troops. Tomorrow morning, we will set off immediately and march westward!" Zhao Bei put down his command knife and hung it back on his waist.

  "Report! Regrouping troops requires an officer, please send a reliable subordinate to command us." Yang Wangpeng puffed out his chest.

  Zhao Bei smiled slightly and asked: "How many people have been gathered now?"

  Yang Wangpeng said: "At present, there are more than 10,000 people in our hands, and more than 10,000 people have not been gathered yet. According to my estimation, after this battle, the revolutionary army can control at least 15,000 people, which can be organized into one town and two battalions. However, during the battle, most of the old military officers refused to participate in the uprising, some were killed by us, and others were captured alive. Currently, the number of officers is seriously insufficient."

  Zhao Bei sank into thought for a moment, then said: "Yang Wangpeng, your Gongzhixue Society has made significant contributions. These vacant military positions will be filled by nominees from your society, and I will also appoint some people to assist you." He glanced at Bai Wenchu beside him and continued: "The Jiangsu troops will still be commanded by officers from Jiangsu Province. However, considering the stability of the troops and the unity of military orders, the commanders of each garrison will be appointed by me."

  "We? Become officers?" Yang Wangpeng and others looked at each other in dismay. To say they didn't want to be officials would be a lie, holding their heads high to make revolution was indeed a passionate impulse, but if they could take this opportunity to rise to the top and return home with glory, that would also be a wonderful thing. However, if they were really asked to become officers immediately, they did feel a bit apprehensive, after all, they were all just low-ranking soldiers now, and none of them were even over twenty years old yet.

  "I appreciate the trust and support of the vanguard officers, but I'm afraid it's not possible for me to take on this role. Firstly, my status is too lowly, and secondly, I'm too young, so it would be difficult to command respect from others." Yang Wangpeng took a step forward. "The opinion of the Ministry is that instead of selecting someone new, we should choose some old military officers who are willing to join the revolution and let them continue to lead their old units. At the same time, we can send our comrades to monitor them closely. The eighth town's commander, Zhang Biao, is a die-hard loyalist of the Qing dynasty and cannot be used, but the ninth town's commander, Xu Shaozhen, sympathizes with the revolution and has experience in military affairs, having served as the principal of the Fujian Military Academy. Many military officers are his students, so if we can win him over to our side, I'm sure many old military officers will be willing to change their stance and join the revolution. Moreover, the 33rd battalion of the Jiangsu New Army is currently stationed along the Yangtze River and has not been able to respond to the uprising. If we send Xu Shaozhen there, the entire 33rd battalion will definitely rise up in response. Additionally, the original commander of the 16th regiment of the 8th town's infantry, Lan Tianwei, is a member of the Tongmenghui and has studied at the Japanese Army Officer School. After returning to China, he taught at the Wuchang Military Academy and has unmatched prestige and experience. This time, he came south to observe military exercises as a judge and even led his old unit in response to the uprising, showing great revolutionary enthusiasm. It seems that he can command the Hubei uprising troops and serve as the commander of the 8th town."